Drywall bead with knurled paper flaps

ABSTRACT

A drywall joint assembly strip device comprised of an elongate core having a cover bonded to its exterior surface and extending beyond its longitudinal edges to form flexible flaps in which longitudinal, parallel grooves and ridges and/or spaced-apart perforations are formed for flow of joint compound during the installation process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to drywall finish trim devices typicallyutilized in finishing a drywall installation at a corner joint or otherterminus.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Drywall, sometimes also referred to as wallboard, is a staple in theconstruction industry as an economical alternative to plaster forforming the interior walls and ceilings of rooms in residential,commercial, and industrial buildings. The materials used in drywallconstruction include gypsum board, plywood, fibre-and-pulp boards, andasbestos-cement boards. The large, rigid sheets are fastened directly tothe frame of a building with nails, screws, or adhesives, or are mountedon furring (strips of wood nailed over the studs, joists, rafters, ormasonry, which allow free circulation of air behind the interior wall).A significant advantage of drywall construction is that the craftsman isnot required to delay his or her finish work while the plaster spreadover the interior support structure dries. Wallboard is manufactured inboth finished and unfinished forms, and in its finished form may befaced with vinyl or other materials in a variety of permanent colors andtextures so that they do not need to be painted when installed.

Drywall construction allows the drywall hanger to easily cut the panelsto many different shapes and sizes for assembly and hanging from thebuilding frame. However, workmen face a challenge in finishing drywallpanels at an edge or corner. It is very difficult, if not impossible, tocut the edges of such panels with the precision, straightness, andsmoothness required to abut the edges of adjoining panels in asufficiently straight corner to provide an aesthetic finish.Additionally, cut edges expose the soft, raw cores of the drywallpanels, thus requiring some sort of covering or treatment to afford afinished appearance.

As a result, several different devices and techniques have beendeveloped in effort to produce a structurally sound corner or otherjoint that exhibits a smooth and seamless intersection. Devices proposedto achieve this result include drywall tape, trim and corner beads.Conventional drywall tape may be applied to the joints and edges ofabutting panels to be covered by wet joint compound that is featheredand smoothed to cover the newly created seams. When the joint compoundhas dried, the tape and drywall can be sanded, painted, covered, orotherwise finished in whatever manner is desired. Great deal of skill isrequired, however, to apply and form the joint compound to create asufficiently straight intersection that will exhibit, when taped andsanded to a finish, no evidence of scuffing and tearing in the tape.

In light of the limitations on use of drywall tape to trim a joint, trimstrips or corner beads are often utilized to cover a joint and produce aseamless and aesthetically pleasing edge trim or intersection at thecorners of drywall panels.

Such trim strips may take many different configurations and aretypically in the form of an angle corner bead having diverging flangesor may be, for instance, a J strip to cap the edge of a dry wall panel.For the purposes of this invention, the particular configuration is notcritical and use in conjunction with numerous different configurationsis contemplated. For instance, the trim may be flat or configured withany one of a number of well known configurations, including corner trimwith perpendicular flanges, corner trim with a rib formed at thejuncture of the flanges defining a bead, flanges angled at 135° to oneanother, those configured with somewhat of a Z shape, those with softline or rounded corners, and those with offsets or other configurationstraditionally used in the trade and known to those skilled in the art.

One common feature of many of the trim strips or corner beads currentlyavailable is the use of a rigid or semi-rigid core that caps the drywallcorner joint to provide support and to prevent the drywall from beingchipped or cracked along the otherwise exposed edges of the panels.Typical materials known and used in the art for such cores includegalvanized steel, aluminum, plastic, and sometimes stiff, thick paper. Adisadvantage of these cores is that they must be anchored in some way asby nailing, screwing, or otherwise fastening to the drywall panels. Afurther disadvantage of such cores is that the drywall finishingcompound applied to the corner joints to complete the assembly may notreadily adhere to such rigid and semi-rigid core materials or easilyconceal nail or screw heads, making it difficult to cover, sand, paintor otherwise finish out the corner joint in an aesthetically-pleasingmanner.

To enhance the function and finished appearance of drywall corner jointsconfigured with corner beads, efforts have been made to provide suchbeads with an exterior covering of some other material such as paper orfabric to facilitate both installation and application of the jointcompound to the exterior surfaces thereof. The challenge is to providesuch an exterior covering that is substantial enough to secure the innercore in position while being thin enough to create a smooth transitionbetween the cover and the underlying drywall. One bead developed toaddress some of the problems with the prior art is a corner bead with ametal core, covered on its exterior with a paper cover which projectsbeyond the opposite lateral edges to form flexile, flaps to be securedin place as by nailing and embedding in joint compound. I havediscovered that such flaps often fail to securely anchor the corner beaddevice in place thus allowing for shifting of the bead relative to thedrywall thereby producing an irregular appearance.

It has been common practice to form such flaps with small holes forcommunication of moisture during the curing process for the jointcompound. Oftentimes, such holes are formed by punching chads from oneside of the flap often leaving one side of the chad attached.Consequently, some of the attached chads end up acting as flaps whichclose over the holes upon installation thus serving to blockcommunication of joint compound through the respective chad holes.

It has also been discovered that prior art corner beads suffer theshortcoming that such flaps are often wavy throughout their length,making it difficult to effectively cover the flap material with a smoothlayer of joint material to adequately securely anchor them in the jointcompound.

Because these features have not been optimally satisfied in a singledrywall bead design, there still exists a need for such a finishing beadthat addresses each of these challenges. The present invention isdirected to just such a drywall bead.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a drywall bead which is convenient toinstall and still effective to attractively cover and protect thedrywall panel joint. The drywall joint assembly strip device of thepresent invention is characterized by lengthwise, longitudinal flexibleflaps projecting from at least one side and configured with one or morelongitudinal grooves and ridges to provide a mechanical anchor in thejoint compound when covered therewith.

The strip device core is generally elongate and has exterior andinterior surfaces. Preferably, a continuous cover having a width greaterthan the width of the core is bonded to the core's exterior surface suchthat the edges of the cover extend beyond the longitudinal edges of thecore to form flexible flaps. As such, the lengthwise, alternatinggrooves and ridges are then formed along the flaps in a secondaryoperation. In one embodiment, lengthwise, spaced-apart perforations areformed along the grooves as well, as by knurling.

In use, then, the flaps of the drywall joint assembly strip device ofthe present invention provide flexibility about the longitudinal edgesof the core, while the grooves and ridges cooperate to provide linearstiffness along the length of the flaps to maintain them flat duringinstallation so that the device is convenient to use. In this regard,grooves and ridges, when embedded in the joint compound, serve tofacilitate anchoring of the device in place in covering relationshipover the joint. Additionally, in embodiments where the flaps are knurledwith perforations of sufficient size for flow of the joint compound,such compound, when cured, will form a plurality of small columns orposts through such perforations to facilitate the anchoring of theflaps. Finally, by placing such perforations in the grooves formed insuch flaps, the grooves themselves will serve to direct the jointcompound through the spaced-apart perforations to the underside of theflaps to thus create a series of respective bridges through such flapsdefining respective anchoring posts.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the featuresof the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a drywall bead device embodyingthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view, in enlarged scale, taken alongline 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view, in enlarged scale, taken from the ovalidentified by the numeral 3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, in reduced scale, of the drywall beaddevice shown in FIG. 1, partially in section, and covering a cornerjoint;

FIG. 5 is a detailed view, in enlarged scale, taken from the ovalidentified by the numeral 5 in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view, in reduced scale, of a method ofproducing the drywall bead device shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in the drawings for purpose of illustration, the presentinvention provides generally for an improved drywall bead 10 that iscomprised of an elongate core 20 having a cover 40 bonded to the outsidesurface thereof to extend beyond the longitudinal side edges of the coreto provide flexible flaps 50 in which longitudinal grooves 56 and ridges58 are formed. Some embodiments include a longitudinal pattern ofcompound communicating perforations 60. While the present invention isdescribed and depicted in detail as a drywall bead having a core with acurved cross-section and mounted on the typical vertical drywall cornerjoint, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that theinvention can be used in conjunction with cores of most anycross-section on virtually any drywall joint.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in one embodiment elongate core 20 is formedhaving a generally curved transverse cross-section to form what is knownas a bull nose shape defining a convex outer surface 22 and a concaveinner surface 24. The elongate flanges 26 project laterally beyond thelongitudinal edges of the core. In the embodiment of the strip deviceshown, transitions are formed at the opposite sides of the bull nosecurve to define slight bends serving to direct the respective flangesoutwardly away from each other at an angle of about ninety degrees. Thecore may be made of a number of rigid or semi-rigid materials such asgalvanized steel, aluminum, and a variety of plastics, including vinyl,nylon, and PVC. In a preferred embodiment, I have found that fromparallel groove 56 and ridges 58 perform satisfactorily. Arepresentative embodiment is formed with the grooves spaced laterallyapart a distance of about ⅛^(th) of an inch and the ribs formed to bowoutwardly in transverse cross section as described below. Thus, onceembedded such ribs present respective barriers against lateral shiftingof the respective flanges relative to the joint compound embedded in therespective grooves. Depending on the material selected and the corecross-section desired, the core may be formed through a variety ofprocesses known in the art, including casting, molding, extruding, orroller-forming.

The elongate cover 40 is configured having a length substantially equalto that of the core 20 but with a greater transverse width. It ispreferably made of a paper material, but may be made of other thin,flexible materials such as textiles and synthetic fabrics. In thepreferred embodiment, the selected material is to have sufficienttensile strength to resist tearing or chafing, while being sufficientlyflexible to facilitate installation, all the while having absorptive andsurface characteristics that allow it to be effectively bonded both tothe core and to a drywall surface and to, upon curing of the jointcompound, provide an appearance complimentary to that of the adjacentdrywall surface. It has been discovered that, in one embodiment theseobjectives are satisfied in a paper cover fabricated by mixing fibersand strengthening compound to encapsulate the fibers with a thin filmand then combining three or more layers of such a film to produce atear- and temperature-resistant paper cover material, as described incopending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/825,766, filed on Apr. 3,2001, and now U.S. Pat. No. ______. While ideal for this application, itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other conventionalstiff paper such as the covering paper typically used to cover thesurface of drywall panels will suffice in this invention.

The paper defining the cover 40 is bonded to the outer surface 22 of theformed core 20, using a hot melt glue or other such adhesive known inthe art. Such cover is wider than such core so that the opposite margins42 project laterally beyond the longitudinal edges 30 of the core toform the flaps 50. In one embodiment, such cover is bonded centered onthe core so that the flaps are symmetrical on the opposite sidesthereof. Generally, the cover is rectangular so that the longitudinaledges extend parallel to the respective longitudinal edges of the core.By extending beyond the edges of the underlying rigid core, both theoutwardly-facing surfaces 52 and inwardly-facing surfaces 54 of theflaps are exposed free of such core. Based on the grooved constructiondescribed and the thin, fibrous material from which the flaps are made,it will be appreciated that the flaps may be formed with a relativelystraight longitudinal configuration and will resist flexing along thelongitudinal axis while being somewhat flexible relative to thelongitudinal edges of the core to facilitate conforming to the drywallsurface projecting from the opposite edges of such core.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the elongate, flexible flaps 50 are configuredalong their length with one or more of the parallel grooves 56 andridges 58. The ridges 58 are interposed lengthwise between the groovesand are generally parallel to them. In one embodiment, three grooves andfour ridges are formed in each flap. As noted, such lengthwise groovesand ridges cooperate to serve the purpose of reinforcing ribs and toprovide linear stiffness for the flaps, thereby minimizing longitudinalfluting or waviness in such flaps along their respective lengths whilestill allowing each flap to bend or flex relatively freely about an axisparallel to the respective longitudinal edges 30 of the core 20. It willbe appreciated that this configuration maximizes the workability of thedrywall joint assembly strip device 10 of the present invention, as theflaps are held straight in the longitudinal direction but are free toflex about vertical axes to lay down flat over the marginal edges of thejoining drywall panels.

With continued reference to FIG. 3, in the preferred embodiment thespaced-apart perforations 60 are formed of sufficient size tocommunicate uncured joint compound between the outwardly-facing surfaces52 and the inwardly-facing surfaces 54 of the flaps. In a preferredembodiment, I have found these perforations formed in longitudinalgrooves arranged in a uniform pattern and having an opening of about1/64 of an inch wide, about 1/16 of an inch long and spacedlongitudinally apart about 3/32 of an inch from end to end work well. Inthis embodiment the center of the respective ribs 58 (FIG. 2) rise upabout 1/64th of an inch from the bottom of the respective grooves thusmaking such its respective grooves about that deep. As will beappreciated by those skilled in the art, the cross sectional area ofsuch perforations and density thereof may vary, it only being importantthat they allow for flow therethrough of the compound of the particularviscosity to be used to complete the joint and that such perforations besufficiently dense in the flap to provide for a sufficient number ofresultant compound posts to securely anchor the flap in the finishedjoint. The cross sectional area of such perforations for use withconventional compound can vary from about 0.0006 to about 0.05 squareinches or even more depending on the characteristics of the compoundused. The side walls of the ribs taper toward the grooves and theperforations themselves are generally tapered to narrow from the outsideto the inside surface (FIG. 3), such that the opening of eachperforation at the outwardly-facing surface is larger than the openingwhere each perforation intersects the inwardly-facing surface tocompliment the shape of tapered side walls of such ribs in providing afunnel effect inwardly toward the body of the respective drywall panels.It will be appreciated that, as discussed below in more detail, in use,the grooves, ridges, and perforations cooperate to convenientlyeffectuate the installation of the joint assembly strip device 10 over adrywall corner joint.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, a typical drywall corner joint consistsof a first drywall panel 90 and a second drywall panel 92 being mountedvertically to meet at a corner at approximately right angles to oneanother. The panels are installed on an internal wall support structure94, such as framing, studs, joists, furring, or other such supportstructure known in the art, using a conventional fastening technique,such as nails, screws, or adhesives. The panels are configured to besubstantially planar, such that the first drywall panel has a firstexterior surface 96 and the second drywall panel has a second exteriorsurface 98 wherein both exterior surfaces face outwardly away from thebuilding frame. The panels are further configured such that a firstvertical edge 100 and a second vertical edge 102 of the respective firstand second panels meet at right angles to form a drywall corner joint104.

In use, the drywall joint assembly strip device 10 of the presentinvention is installed vertically in covering relationship over thedrywall corner joint 104 such that the concave interior surface 24 ofthe core 20 is adjacent to the corner joint. Typically, the strip deviceis cut to a length substantially equal to the length of the corner jointso as to completely cover and protect the entire corner joint. Wetdrywall joint compound is applied to the exterior surface of the stripand blended with the strip device 11 whether manually or by anapplication. The strip device is then applied to the desired cornerjuncture and a finishing layer compound applied to the exterior drywallsurfaces all along the joint using a conventional troweling or othersuch technique known in the art in order to produced a smooth,aesthetically-pleasing, finished corner joint.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that severalbeneficial and novel features of the drywall joint assembly strip device10 of the present invention become evident in the installation process.First, as the strip device is positioned over the corner joint, thelengthwise grooves 56 and ridges 58 formed in the flaps 50 serve toprovide linear stiffness so that the flaps minimize any waviness orfluting along their respective lengths. This allows the worker to easilyvertically align the strip device over the drywall corner joint withsuch flaps relatively flat on the drywall surface. Moreover, because thegrooves and ridges are configured lengthwise and generally parallel tothe longitudinal edges 30 of the core 20, the flaps are still free tobend and flex and curve relative to their respective vertical planes. Inthis way, the grooves and ridges cooperate to provide both theflexibility relative to the edges of the core and the linear stiffnessneeded to allow a worker to position the strip device on the drywallcorner with such flaps flat against the drywall surface while he or sheapplies the joint compound over such flaps to anchor them to the drywallpanels themselves.

Second, on the respective one sides of the flaps, the joint compoundwill be worked into the grooves 56 between the ridges 58 to createcompound ribs and will be worked into the undulations formed by theridges on the opposite sides of such flaps to thus cooperate inmechanically trapping such flaps in the joint compound to anchor themsolidly in place.

Third, for those embodiments where the perforations 60 are formed inspaced-apart relationship along the flaps 50 they provide for the wetjoint compound to actually flow through to the inwardly-facing flapsurfaces 54 and the underlying drywall exterior surfaces 96 and 98 toenhance the communication of compound from one side to the other and toconstruct small pins or posts in the respective such perforations. Inthis way, when the joint compound dries and cures, the drywall jointassembly strip device 10 is integrally locked in place by the mechanicalentrapment of the ribs and grooves and also by the compound poststhrough the perforations.

A fourth beneficial installation feature of the drywall joint assemblystrip device 10 relates to both the parallel grooves 56 and ridges 58and the perforations 60. It will be appreciated that as wet jointcompound is applied to the outwardly-facing surfaces 52 of the flaps 50,the grooves and ridges in the flaps cooperate to direct moisture alongthe grooves and into the perforations. Thus, the grooves, ridges andperforations cooperate to more effectively direct the wet joint compoundtoward the flaps' inwardly-facing surfaces 54 and the underlyingexterior surfaces 96 and 98 of the drywall panels.

The drywall corner joint is finished out by applying and smoothing, orfeathering, a sufficient amount of wet joint compound to the exteriorsurfaces of the drywall joint assembly strip device 10 so as tocompletely cover the strip device and blend the compound with theexposed exterior surfaces 96 and 98 of the drywall panels.

It will be appreciated that the drywall joint assembly strip device 10of the present invention, with its longitudinally grooved flaps,provides for effective and efficient installation onto a typical drywallcorner joint. For those embodiments with the knurling is operative toform perforations for communication of compound, the anchoring postsformed therein will further facilitate the anchoring function.Furthermore, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that anynumber of core configurations may be formed in producing the stripdevice described, causing the device to be versatile and suitable foruse in a wide variety of drywall joint applications.

In an exemplary embodiment, the grooves 56, ridges 58, and perforations60 on each flap 50 of the drywall joint assembly strip device 10 of thepresent invention are formed in a single operation. As shown in FIG. 6,one such means for forming all three features in one step is a matingroller device, or knurling machine 70. The machine generally has twoparallel shafts aligned in a vertical plane: an upper shaft 72 and alower shaft 74. An upper roller 76 and a lower roller 78 are mounted inrolling contact on the distal ends of the upper and lower shafts,respectively. The upper roller is configured with one or more axiallyspaced-apart circumferential rings 80 having radially spaced-apartpyramidal spikes, or knurling points 82, thereabout. The lower roller isconfigured with axially spaced-apart circumferential channels 84positioned to accommodate the spiked rings of the upper roller.

The upper and lower shafts 72 and 74 rotate in opposite directionsrelative to one another, so that the upper roller 76 and lower roller 78turn on each other and allow the flaps 50 to be fed between them one ata time. The shafts may be manually rotated or be driven by the knurlingmachine. In either case, a dry paper flap may be fed between the mating,rotating rollers to pass between them such that its outwardly-facingsurface 52 faces the upper roller so that each ring 80 on the upperroller forces the flap material into the corresponding channel 84 on thelower roller to permanently deform the paper and form the respectivegrooves 56. At the same time, in those embodiments which are perforated,knurling teeth define points 82 to make multiple punctures in therespective flap along each groove to form the spaced-apart perforations60. The flap material is forced by the rings into the engaging channelswith sufficient force to permanently deform the paper forming such flapsto define on one side thereof high areas, defining the ridges 58, oneither side of each groove. In this way, through a single operation, aknurled surface comprised of lengthwise grooves, ridges, andperforations is permanently formed along the outwardly-facing surface ofeach flap, thus completing the strip device 10. Therefore, it will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that the drywall joint assemblystrip device of the present invention is capable of being produced in aconvenient and cost-effective manner by being made of relatively commonand inexpensive materials and by employing methods that are efficientand utilize equipment that is generally known in the art.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the drywall jointassembly strip device of the present invention provides an effective andeconomical strip device for covering and protecting an underlyingdrywall joint. The strip device may be formed in many differentconfigurations to suit a variety of drywall joint applications andoptimizes the ease and effectiveness of installing the strip device on adrywall joint through its novel flexible flaps having lengthwise groovesand ridges and/or spaced-apart perforations for flow of joint compoundto anchor such flaps.

Various modifications and changes may be made with regard to theforegoing detailed description without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

1. A protective drywall joint strip device comprising: a rigid elongatedcore of a predetermined width, configured with longitudinal edges andhaving an outer surface and an inner surface; a cover bonded to saidcore and configured to project laterally beyond at least one of saidlongitudinal edges to form at least one flexible flap; and said flapformed with elongated, lengthwise grooves with ridges interposedtherebetween.
 2. The drywall joint assembly strip device of claim 1,wherein: said core is constructed of metal.
 3. The drywall jointassembly strip device of claim 2, wherein: said core is constructed ofgalvanized steel.
 4. The drywall joint assembly strip device of claim 1,wherein: said core is constructed of plastic.
 5. The drywall jointassembly strip device of claim 1, wherein: said core is configured witha curved lengthwise cross-section such that said outer surface isgenerally convex and said inner surface is generally concave.
 6. Thedrywall joint assembly strip device of claim 1, wherein: said flap isconstructed with perforations extending therethrough for flow of jointcompound from one side to the other.
 7. The drywall joint assembly stripdevice of claim 6, wherein: said flap is constructed with saidperforations formed with at least one transverse cross-sectionaldimension of at least 1/64th of an inch.
 8. The drywall joint assemblystrip device of claim 1, wherein: said cover is paper.
 9. The drywalljoint assembly strip device of claim 8, wherein: said cover isconstructed of at least three layers.
 10. The drywall joint assemblystrip device of claim 1, wherein: said flap includes at least three saidgrooves and four said ridges.
 11. The drywall joint assembly stripdevice of claim 10, wherein: said flap is formed with perforations alongsaid grooves.
 12. The drywall joint assembly strip device of claim 1,wherein: said cover is wider than said predetermined width to includesaid flaps projecting laterally beyond both said longitudinal edges andformed with said grooves and ridges.
 13. The drywall joint assemblystrip device of claim 6, wherein: said flap is formed with saidperforations spaced therealong throughout its length.
 14. A drywalljoint assembly strip device for protecting a drywall corner joint,comprising: an elongated core formed with angular flanges terminating inlongitudinal edges; a cover bonded to said core and projecting laterallybeyond said longitudinal edges to form flexible flaps, each having anoutwardly-facing surface and an inwardly-facing surface; said flapsbeing formed with elongated, lengthwise grooves and ridges disposed inalternating fashion along at least one of said surfaces to providelinear stiffness in said flaps; and said flaps being further formed withspaced-apart perforations along said grooves of sufficient size toprovide for the communication of uncured joint compound between saidoutwardly-facing surfaces and said inwardly-facing surfaces during theinstallation of said drywall joint assembly strip device onto saiddrywall corner joint.
 15. A drywall trim device for protecting a drywallcorner joint, comprising: a relatively rigid elongated core having acurved lengthwise cross-section so as to have a convex outer surface anda concave inner surface and including a pair of flanges terminating inrespective longitudinal edges; a paper cover bonded to said outersurface and extending beyond said longitudinal edges of said core toform flexible flaps; and said flaps being formed with elongated grooveswith spaced-apart perforations and elongated ridges formed lengthwisealong said flaps in parallel, alternating relationship.
 16. A drywallcorner protection strip device for protecting a drywall corner joint,comprising: an elongated metal core having first and second longitudinaledges; a paper cover bonded to said metal core and extending beyond saidfirst and second longitudinal edges to form flexible flaps each havingan outwardly-facing surface and an inwardly-facing surface; said flapsbeing formed with elongated grooves and ridges in alternatingrelationship in said outwardly-facing surfaces to provide linearstiffness in said flaps; and said flaps being further formed withspaced-apart perforations formed along said grooves to provide for thecommunication of uncured joint compound between said outwardly-facingsurfaces and said inwardly-facing surfaces during the installation ofsaid drywall corner protection strip device onto said drywall cornerjoint.
 17. A drywall joint assembly strip device to be covered byflowable joint compound and comprising: an elongated core; a paper coverbonded to said core so as to extend beyond the longitudinal edges ofsaid core to form flexible flaps, said flaps being formed on at leastone side with longitudinal rib means for, when said joint compound isapplied thereto, afford a mechanical barrier to shifting relative tosuch compound; and said flaps formed with compound-directing means andcommunication means to provide for the communication of said flowablejoint compound between said outwardly-facing surfaces and saidinwardly-facing surfaces to, when set up, fill the respective saidperforations with compound posts.
 18. A drywall assembly strip devicefor protecting a drywall joint, comprising: core means for spanning saiddrywall joint; cover means bonded to said core means and projectinglaterally therefrom to form at least one flexible flap; said flaps beingformed with reinforcing means extending lengthwise along said flap toresist longitudinal fluting; moisture-directing means interposed betweensaid reinforcing means along said flap; and said flap formed with aplurality of communication means spaced therealong and configured toprovide for passage thereunto of uncured joint compound to, when cured,form respective posts.
 19. The drywall assembly strip device of claim18, wherein: said communication means are formed along saidmoisture-directing means.
 20. A drywall corner protection strip device,comprising: an elongated, continuous metal core configured with alengthwise central portion arcuate in cross-section and terminating oneach longitudinal core edge in a generally planar, lengthwise flangeportion, said core thus having a generally convex outer surface and agenerally concave inner surface; a paper cover centrally bonded to saidouter surface and configured such that the longitudinal edges of saidcover extend beyond said longitudinal core edges to form respectiveflexible flaps having respective outwardly-facing and inwardly-facingsurfaces; elongated grooves and ridges permanently formed in alternatingrelationship along said outwardly-facing surfaces to provide linearstiffness for said flaps; and spaced-apart perforations formed alongsaid grooves to provide for the communication of uncured joint compoundbetween said outwardly-facing surfaces and said inwardly-facing surfacesduring the installation of said drywall corner protection strip deviceonto a drywall corner joint.
 21. A method of making a drywall jointprotection strip device, including the following steps: selecting a corehaving an elongate outer surface; selecting a cover such that the widthof said cover is greater than the width of said outer surface; formingsaid core with a desired cross-section; bonding said cover centrally onsaid outer surface such that said cover extends beyond the longitudinaledges of said core to form flexible flaps; and forming lengthwisegrooves and lengthwise ridges in parallel, alternating relationshipalong said flaps such that said grooves are further configured withspaced-apart perforations therealong.
 22. The method of claim 21,wherein: said core is selected to be metal.
 23. The method of claim 21,wherein: said core is selected to be rigid plastic.
 24. The method ofclaim 21 for use with flowable uncured joint compound and that includes:forming perforations spaced along the respective said flaps of a sizesufficient for flow therethrough of said flowable compound.
 25. Themethod of claim 21, wherein: the step of forming said cross-section isperformed by passing said core through an extrusion die.
 26. The methodof claim 25, wherein: the step of forming said cross-section includesforming said core arcuate such that at least one surface thereof isgenerally convex.
 27. The method of claim 21, wherein; the step ofbonding said cover on said core is performed using a hot melt glue. 28.The method of claim 21, wherein the step of forming lengthwise groovesand lengthwise ridges in parallel, alternating relationship comprises:selecting a mating roller device such that a first roller and a secondroller are rigidly mounted in rolling engagement and wherein said firstroller is configured with axially spaced-apart circumferential channelsand said second roller is configured with axially spaced-apartcircumferential rings positioned to mate with said channels and havingradially spaced-apart pyramidal spikes thereabout; and passing each saidflap longitudinally through said mating roller device with saidoutwardly-facing surface oriented toward said second roller so as toform said grooves with spaced-apart perforations and said ridges in saidoutwardly-facing surface of each said flap.
 29. A method of making adrywall corner protection strip device, including the following steps:selecting an elongated metal core having a convex outer surface;selecting a paper cover such that the width of said cover is greaterthan the transverse distance along said outer surface; bonding saidcover centrally on said outer surface so that said cover extends beyondthe longitudinal edges of said core to form flexible flaps; formingalternating lengthwise grooves and ridges in said flaps; and formingspaced-apart perforations along said grooves.
 30. A protective drywalljoint strip device comprising: an elongated rigid core of apredetermined width and terminating in opposite longitudinal edges; apaper cover bonded to said core and configured to project laterallybeyond the respective said edges to form respective flexible flaps; saidflaps being formed on at least one side with at least four parallelelongated grooves defining therebetween respective reinforcing ribs,said grooves being spaced ⅛^(th) of an inch apart and said ribs beingraised outwardly from the bottoms of the respective said grooves atleast 1/64^(th) of an inch; and said flaps being further formed withrespective perforations spaced equidistant along the respective saidgrooves and projecting extending through said flaps to form open flowapertures at least 1/64th of an inch in transverse cross action for flowtherethrough of joint compound.